Digital advertising and marketing: only the best ideas worldwide, since 2003

Search: weather

�Portraits� the new Monster’s campaign is now online with a series of rich media ads. Among he the websites presenting the ads there are Weather.com, About and Lycos, which features a special job section in partnership with Monster.

Unicast, the online advertising solutions provider, has announced in press release the birth of a new online ad format that enables advertisers to deliver their message with full-screen, broadcast quality video. Unicast’s Video Commercial is built on the Microsoft� Windows Media� 9 Series platform and is delivered to consumers via Unicast’s patented pre-cached technology. AT&T, Honda, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Vonage, and Warner Brothers are currently participating in a six-week, pre-paid beta launch of the Video Commercial.
The idea of video advertising is interesting, but I don’t understand if people need to install Unicast’s software on their machines. If this is true, I won’t expect a lot of users to agree, at least at time being. There’s too much spam and spyware around. First you need to build trust and educate people about this kind of advertising. I mean, users can’t skip ads, the Internet can’t exist without advertising, so it’s just better to build a relationship with users, telling them about existing formats and asking them the one they prefer. See the example of WeatherBug I talked about a couple of days ago.
On the topic, you can also read the eCommerceTimes, where Jay Lyman interviews Michael Kelleher an analyst at Yankee Group. He says that the video ads are the next generation of online advertising, particularly with the growth of broadband Internet connections. However, the analyst added, the ads might not win the favor of users if they interfere with their online routines.

Thanks to Steve, I’ve found out an excellent article on iMediaConnection about targeted advertising. It’s an interview with Andy Jedynak, senior vice president and general manager at WeatherBug, who explains how the website is helping advertisers with a precise and effective targeting. Through users’ registration and wit WeatherBug has developed a rich database which has been the base for building a frank relationship with consumers.
What we understand from this interview is that in the online world the “ask-listen-talk-listen” is a crucial circle to build a site’s success, generating traffic and providing advertisers with satisfying results.

Pop-ups are annoying and even non-effective but… they are still there, alive and somehow healthy. However, according to the opinion expressed today on IAR, pop-ups are their way to extinction. I particularly liked the way Paul Iaffaldano, Weather.com’s chief revenue officer expressed his opinion about pop-ups :

“I believe from the very bottom of my heart that pop-us, while a very wonderfully ingenious idea, are not the most effective way to reach consumers. I think the industry will move beyond pop-ups in the next year or so.”

Let’s meet here in one year time and see what has changed. I’m not so sure pop-ups will disappear so easily.Pop-Ups Under Siege

Google will provide target advertising and web search to Weather.com. The news is reported in a press release on Biz Yahoo!.
I’m always astonished by reading the high-sounding declarations that usually come with these business deals, and Weather.com makes no exception by saying through Joe Fiveash, senior vice president of Product and Business Development:

“Weather.com wants to present our users with information that is the most relevant to them. By adding Google’s search services, we make finding information about any topic just as easy as finding out how the weather will affect your life.”

Wow, these guys are soooo nice to users, they really care about them and their life…
Please, don’t forget business is… business, not charity!